


Not So Different

by CrystalNavy



Series: The Aftermath [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 11:53:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17866766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalNavy/pseuds/CrystalNavy
Summary: When it comes down to it, they aren't so different.





	1. Amethyst's Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amethyst has a secret. One night, Steven and Connie follow her to see what she's hiding.
> 
> The truth is something neither of them could have imagined.

Amethyst sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night. There was a burlap sack thrown over her shoulder as she disappeared into the night.

Two heads popped up from nearby bushes.

"Are you sure about this, Steven?" Connie asked in a whisper

"Aw, come on, don't you want to know what she is up to?" Steven turned his greatest weapon - his puppy eyes - towards Connie "She has been sneaking out every night for the past week."

"Very well." Connie was unable to resist "But only this once."

And so they followed Amethyst.

They watched her warp away. 

They waited for a while before doing the same.

Then, they continued following her for a while, until she finally stopped, putting the sack she carried down onto the ground.

When they looked up, they found themselves looking at Pink Diamond's old Palanquin. 

"Mom....." Steven touched his Gem subconsciously "But why would Amethyst be here?"

"Let's hide." Connie suggested

And they did just that, a moment before another Gem appeared at the entrance of the Palanquin.

But not just any Gem. It was Jasper.

"You made it." Jasper said with a wry smile

"I promised you I would, Sis." Amethyst grinned

"Tonight will be the night to decide it." Jasper's gem glowed, and she pulled out her weapon, a mace "Which means we must do battle."

"Way ahead of ya, Sis." Amethyst pulled her whip out of her gem, before upgrading it with additions that Bismuth had made

"But why are they fighting?" Steven frowned "They are on the same side now."

"I think Jasper wants to make it official, which means she needs to be poofed and reform herself." Connie said slowly "And she wants Amethyst to be the one who'll poof her."

"Don't hold back." Jasper stared directly at Amethyst

Amethyst responded with a rolling attack, and Jasper got into the stance.

-x-

Amethyst vanished under the blankets, clutching an orange gemstone close to her chest.

It had been three days since she successfully managed to destroy Jasper's physical form. Now all she had to do was wait for her Sis to reform as an official Crystal Gem. 

Amethyst had so many plans for them once that happened.

"You don't have to be lonely anymore, Sis." she stroked the orange gemstone with tenderness "I know you are confused and heartbroken that you tried to shatter your own Diamond for the past five thousand years. But.....I think Steven will forgive you. That's the kind of person he is."

And then, Amethyst turned herself around to the side, and continued her slumber.

The orange gemstone slipped out of her hand, falling on the floor. 

After a while, it began to glow and lifted itself off the floor, as a figure emerged from it.


	2. Welcome to the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family reunion takes place at a familiar location.

Amethyst 8XJ stopped right in front of her superior, panting heavily.

"A vessel is approaching, Holly Blue." she reported "It looks like Commander Hessonite's drop-ship."

"Let's go out to meet them." Holly Blue said "We'll ascertain their intentions and react accordingly."

The ship slowly rolled into the docking bay, before coming to a full stop.

The main doors opened, and Hessonite stepped outside, making a Diamond salute with her arms.

"Commander Hessonite, reporting in." she said

"What happened to you?" Carnelian was the one who asked "According to our superiors, you went missing after the war."

"I didn't exactly go missing." Hessonite looked a tad uncomfortable "I was corrupted. By the Diamonds."

"But why would they do that to one of their own gems?" Holly Blue asked

"I don't know." Hessonite said in a clipped tone, turning to glare at her "Why don't you ask them?"

Holly Blue wisely kept her mouth shut.

"Anyway, Steven convinced the Diamonds to help me and other corrupted Gems." Hessonite continued "And here I am. Commander Hessonite of Pink Diamond's court, formerly known as Centipeetle."

"Then you are with the Crystal Gems?" Holly Blue frowned

"Yes." Hessonite said without hesitation

"That's treason." Holly Blue made to pull out her whip

"Actually, it is not." Hessonite replied "I still serve my Diamond, in a way."

As if on cue, the Crystal Gems - all seven of them - disembarked.

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Bismuth, Peridot, Lapis Lazuli and Steven.

"I am Pink Diamond's child." Steven revealed "But I am not her. I am my own Gem. And I have my own family."

He looked at Crystal Gems with adoration.

"And you're fired." he turned to look at Holly Blue "Hessonite?"

"With pleasure, Steven." Hessonite manifested her weapon and advanced towards Holly Blue.

"You can't do this!" Holly Blue screeched "I was put in charge by Blue Diamond! I....."

She didn't get to finish as Hessonite rammed the weapon into her torso, forcefully dissipating her form.

"I think we just did." Hessonite held Holly Blue's gemstone in her hand "This is Pink Diamond's Zoo, and so Steven has the authority to make the decisions here in his mother's stead."

"Don't worry, you guys." Steven assured the Famethyst "I have a replacement in mind for Holly Blue. One who understands you better than she ever could."

"Who is it?" 8XJ inquired

"You can come out now!" Steven called, turning towards the drop-ship

There was silence for a while, before Jasper stepped out, proudly displaying the Crystal Gem star on her torso.

Carnelian was the first to react.

"Beefy!" she yelled enthusiastically, practically ramming into Jasper in her excitement "So good to have you back!"

"Jasper will be replacing Holly Blue as your leader, effective immediately." Steven announced 

"Let's go back." Garnet steered the others towards the drop-ship

"I am not going."

Everyone turned to look at Amethyst.

"I am not going." Amethyst repeated, taking Holly Blue's gemstone from Hessonite and bubbling it "I'll always be a Crystal Gem in spirit, but....."

She tapped the bubble and it disappeared, reappearing near the ceiling of the Zoo.

"This is my home now." she said "I belong here, with my Quartz family."

"So it is." Garnet smiled at her "Take care."

-x-

Amethyst and Jasper watched the ship leave.

"Do you regret staying here?" Jasper asked her

"No." Amethyst put her hands behind her head "I meant what I said. I want to stay with my family. Besides, you're gonna need a hand. Leading others isn't easy."

Jasper gave her a noogie in retaliation.


	3. Leave The Past Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you've stayed  
> I always thought that you would go  
> But my fear was all in my mind  
> Now I find you here by my side all the time

Five thousands years ago, Jasper had lost her Diamond through the actions of another. That was the belief she upheld for all this time.

And yet, while she was trying to shatter them, Steven and Amethyst were never overly hostile towards her. Even after she was corrupted, Steven had tried to help her. But she had hurt him. She had hurt Amethyst. The only two people who actually cared about her.

And then she learned that Steven had Pink Diamond's Gem all along. That she had been trying to shatter her own Diamond for all this time. That she was the defective one, who had unknowingly turned against her own Diamond. She felt guilty. She felt like she wanted to die.

And once again, Steven and Amethyst were right there, giving her comfort only they could give. One which she didn't deserve. 

And yet, their presence was also something she had needed.

She turned around to look at Amethyst. The smaller Quartz mumbled something in her sleep.

Jasper smiled at her, and went to stand by one of window-like structures of the Zoo, gazing at the vast space stretching out before her.

"Hey." Amethyst came up from behind her, almost startling her "What are you thinking about."

"I'd like to thank you." Jasper kept staring at the space "Back then, I wanted to shatter myself. If it weren't for you and Steven, I'd have done it too."

"You wouldn't." Amethyst shook her head "Jaspers never give up, after all. Jaspers keep going, until they get what they want."

"So true." a third voice interrupted

Several more Jaspers had crowded around them, hollering in approval.

"But I can't get what I want." Jasper's mouth became a thin line "I have been chasing phantoms for a very long time, and the very thing I wanted all along is impossible to attain. Pink Diamond......she may not have been shattered, but she is gone nonetheless. Lapis rejected me. There is nothing that I want anymore."

"So, we mean nothing to you, Beefy?" Skinny closed her eyes briefly, before re-opening them "Having us around means nothing to you?"

"That's not it." Jasper frowned and looking away

"Then why?" Skinny demanded "If you care about us, then why are you shutting us out like this? You're our leader now, whether you'd like it or not. If you break down, then the rest of us will follow."

"What she means." Amethyst cut in "Is that we want to help you, Sis."

"You have been trying to do the same from the beginning." Jasper said "And I rejected any help from both of you every single time. Why do you think this time would be different?"

"Because this time you have what you wanted." Amethyst announced "You have Pink Diamond. She might not be the person you remember, but she is still there, in a way."

"You're right." Jasper grabbed her smaller hand and held it with her own "You and Steven never gave up on me. It's time I prove myself as someone who deserved your kindness."


End file.
